Good Riddance
by Julia451
Summary: When and how did Hiccup learn Mildew had tricked him? How did that affect Hiccup? What happened to the traitor after the events of "Cast Out"? One-shot set during "Defenders of Berk" that fills in the blanks of Hiccup's rivalry with the treacherous dragon hater.


The emergency of the moment – the need to catch the Outcasts and rescue Meatlug – stopped the implications of what he was seeing from sinking in right away. Hiccup saw Mildew on the cliff with Alvin. In the back of his mind, he realized the old man didn't seem to be under any sort of duress, that he wasn't acting like a prisoner dragged there against his will, that he wasn't calling for help or trying to escape. During the subsequent battle, Hiccup noticed he seemed to be every bit as eager to stop the riders as the Outcasts were – eager enough that he was the one the twins' Terrors attacked. But Hiccup was focused on saving Meatlug and fighting their enemies at the time; he couldn't process it all until it was over and they were riding safely home.

Mildew had come back to Berk with the Outcasts – freely and willingly, by all appearances. He had left with the Outcasts without being forced. He clearly wasn't their prisoner. He had joined them in battle against the riders. It could only mean one thing.

Hiccup didn't waste one second on denial or resisting the truth. He'd warned himself back when he'd taken the old man with him from the prison that he would probably regret it. It had taken several weeks, but the day of regret had come. He tried to tell himself that, deep down, he had known all along, that he had always figured it would turn out this way, but the shock he felt was too great to allow himself even that luxury. The truth was that he never saw this coming – it was the very last thing he expected. What he felt wasn't confirmation of some latent fear but the sting of dashed hope. The man Hiccup had honestly believed had saved his life had been a traitor all along.

Hiccup told his father what had happened as soon as they got home. "Alvin was on Berk?" the chief exclaimed when his son began the story back at the Academy, his teammates gathered behind him.

"Yes," Hiccup explained. "He used the Whispering Death tunnels to sneak up near the Academy and capture Meatlug. We didn't have time to get help, so we chased them down on our own and burned their ship."

"Good work, son. But if that traitor ever sets foot on my shores again, no matter what, make sure you notify me _before_ you chase him off – I'd like to handle that part myself next time."

"Noted," Hiccup said before taking a deep breath and gathering the strength to make his confession. "But Alvin wasn't the only traitor who was on Berk today."

"What do you mean?"

"We saw three intruders near the Academy – Alvin, Savage... and Mildew. And he wasn't their prisoner, Dad. He was working for them. I think... he's been working for them all along."

Stoick showed no surprise; on the contrary, he sighed and shook his head as if he'd been waiting for such a blow. "I was afraid of that."

"Dad, this is all my fault. I showed him everything I know about training dragons. That's how Alvin was able to..."

Stoick held up his hand for his son to stop. "You did what you had to do to escape, son. You couldn't have known. Who would have guessed a man could betray his people so thoroughly?"

It was true – the thought of a man betraying his tribe and his chief's son over petty gripes was anathema to a Viking. Nothing was more important to a Viking than his honor, and nothing was more dishonorable than treason. When Hiccup had realized Mildew had helped Alvin capture him, his disbelief had been even greater than his disgust. It had felt like seeing a man breathe underwater or hearing a dragon speak – it just wasn't possible; it didn't happen! No wonder Hiccup had found it so easy to believe he regretted it later. But no matter how hard it was to fathom such brazen treachery, Hiccup had seen what the old man was capable of; he had no excuse for trusting him.

"I can't believe I let him trick me," Hiccup said, looking at the ground.

"We all believed he was trying to help you," said his father. "If we hadn't, we never would have left him behind to reveal our secrets. I should have known it was an act when he told us to go on without him..." The chief sighed again. "Don't be too hard on yourself, son. We're all to blame – none of us realized it was a trick."

"Yeah, but we're not as smart as Hiccup," Tuffnut said nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Ruffnut added in a highly annoyed tone. "He's supposed to see through stuff like this." Hiccup wasn't looking at her, but it sounded like Astrid punched her arm. "Ow!"

"What's done is done," their chief said. "Mildew may be showing Alvin how to train dragons, but we've dealt with them all so far. Whatever he throws at us next, we'll deal with it, too. I'll update the Berk Guard, let them know what we're up against. We'll be on the lookout from now on, and you and your dragons need to be ready, too."

"We will be, Dad," Hiccup said, his eyes narrowed in determination. "We will be."

No matter what his dad said, Hiccup still felt responsible. He remained standing there, berating himself, as his father left the Academy. He didn't raise his head until he felt Astrid lay her hand on his shoulder. "He's right, Hiccup. Mildew and Alvin may have picked up a few tips, but there's no way they know dragons like we do."

"Who cares what they know? Our dragons can take theirs any day!" Snotlout said cockily, punching his fist in his palm.

Tuffnut snorted in laughter. "Can you picture Mildew teaching a class at the Outcast Dragon Training Academy?"

"Bet it's easier than Hiccup's classes," his sister replied.

Ignoring the twins' banter, Fishlegs said optimistically, "You know, we never got _that_ close to them... We don't know for _sure_ he's betrayed us, Hiccup. I mean, they _could_ have forced him to help them today... Who knows what was really going on...?"

Knowing his friend was trying to give him hope he hadn't messed up as badly as he thought, Hiccup said weakly, "Yeah, maybe," even though he knew there was no chance of it being true.

The others began to joke about how difficult and dangerous it would be going against Mildew in battle, but nothing Hiccup's friends said or how hard they laughed at the thought of facing such an adversary could make him feel better. He _was_ supposed to be smarter than this! He was certainly supposed to be smarter than the likes of Alvin and Mildew! Hiccup wondered whose idea the plan had been (probably Alvin's, if he had to guess), but it didn't matter. Mildew, the town joke, was the one who'd carried it out – he was the one who'd put one over on Hiccup. What could be more shameful than being outwitted by _Mildew_ , of all people? How could Hiccup have fallen for his teary, anguished what-have-I-done act? It wasn't even original...

No... it really wasn't. How many stories had he heard growing up that involved someone learning the error of their ways, regretting what they'd done, switching sides, and trying to make up for it? That must be why he had fallen for their trick so easily. Alvin had deliberately staged everything to look like a classic case of regret and redemption, and it had worked. Hiccup had accepted Mildew's story because that was the way it was supposed to happen, never stopping to think it was too good to be true.

How could he have let his guard down like that?! He'd let them lure him into a false sense of security, walked right into their second trap in as many days, and who knew how Berk would suffer for it? Hiccup wouldn't blame everyone if they went back to treating him the way they always had before the Red Death. He deserved it now. There was no excuse for what a monumentally foolish thing he'd done, and all of Berk might end up paying for it.

"Stop it." Astrid's voice snapped Hiccup back to the outer world.

"Stop what?" he asked.

"Beating yourself up."

"Why? I deserve it."

"I think you've got this backwards. _He's_ the one who lied to you."

"And I believed him."

Astrid shrugged and gave him a weak smile. "Nobody's perfect."

Hiccup frowned at the perfectionist who could never forgive herself for the slightest mistake in training. "How would _you_ feel if you'd let someone trick you like this?"

Astrid's face fell instantly, getting his point all too well. "I'd never want to forgive myself," she conceded. "But you wouldn't want me to torture myself about it, would you?"

Hiccup sighed in defeat. "No."

"Then don't. It won't help anything."

"Doesn't matter – no one will ever let me forget this once they hear about it."

Astrid grinned again. "Somehow I don't think it's _you_ they'll be mad at." She turned and leaned against the wall so that she and Hiccup were both facing the same direction, towards the village, even if they couldn't see it from in here. "Bet no one'll be surprised when they hear the news. There's not a single Viking on this island who can say anything good about Mildew. People have been demanding your dad banish him for years. All he ever did was make everyone miserable. It was probably only a matter of time before he turned on us like this."

"I know," Hiccup said bitterly as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, thinking back to everything Mildew had done to Toothless and the other dragons when he'd still lived here.

As he recalled everything the man had put them through, Hiccup's anger at himself was pushed aside by anger at the traitor. He could have understood if Mildew honestly had still believed dragons were dangerous, vicious beasts who were unsafe to let live in your village, but the fact that he framed them for things he knew they didn't do proved that he _didn't_ believe it, that he knew they weren't dangerous and just hated dragons for being dragons. He could even understand the old man finding such a drastic, sudden change in their way of life hard to accept. But that a Viking could sell his chief's son out to the enemy, put all his people in danger, help their enemies attack his home and tribe, because he refused to accept their new friends... How low could a man sink?

Mildew truly didn't care how far he had to go to get revenge – his life was so empty and his hatred for life so great, he was willing to give up everything for the chance to make Hiccup, the dragons, and the people who supported them suffer. He was the most despicable, worthless human being Hiccup had ever heard of. How could Hiccup possibly have been naïve enough to think there might be good in him?

The thought of such a man having Berk at his mercy because of him was so sickening, it made Hiccup shudder. He wasn't surprised that Astrid noticed. "Don't worry," she assured him. "They'll be back. We'll get him."

"Count on it," Hiccup said with his eyes narrowed again and a striking intensity in his voice. Astrid was right. Maybe he couldn't undo the mistake he'd made, but he could make it right if he was able to protect Berk from the Outcasts and make sure Mildew's decision to join them accomplished nothing. It was the only way to redeem himself. Whatever the traitor was plotting or helping the Outcasts plot next, Hiccup wouldn't let it succeed. He'd let Mildew trick him, he'd lost this round, but he wouldn't lose the next one.

It was almost funny. A few minutes ago, Hiccup had been hoping he'd never have to see the old man again, in this world or the next (no fear of that, of course, since such dishonorable treachery with so little excuse meant he'd permanently forfeited his seat in Valhalla). Now, Hiccup wanted nothing more than to face him again. Like Astrid, he didn't think they would have to wait long – Alvin was as determined as ever to destroy or conquer Berk and more confident than ever that he had the power to do so.

Or was he? Would Alvin or Mildew or someone else have realized that the dragon riders must have figured out the truth after what they saw today? If they had, would it make them more cautious? Probably not – that wasn't the Viking way. It made no difference to Hiccup anyway. Would it mean anything for Mildew? Would it make the Outcasts decide he was useless now or even a liability? If so, from what Hiccup knew about Alvin, this was the last they would ever see of Mildew...

* * *

But apparently, Alvin either didn't know or didn't care that Berk knew about his secret weapon. Mildew looked none the worse for wear the next time Hiccup saw him on Outcast Island. The intervening weeks had done nothing to diminish his hatred for the man; if anything, seeing him alive and well (more or less) only made his rage flare up stronger than ever. He hissed his name with utter contempt and loathing, wishing he could just order Toothless to blast the old traitor's head off here and now. Thank Thor he already knew the truth – otherwise, he might have done something suicidally reckless like try to rescue him! Hiccup wondered, if they hadn't learned weeks ago that Mildew had never been on their side, if he would have been surprised to hear Tuffnut describe the narrow escape he'd had when Mildew tried to tell Dagur who he was – would he have been able to believe what a terrible mistake he'd made if he hadn't already seen the evidence with his own eyes?

Good thing Hiccup didn't have long to dwell on the unsettling what-ifs. Dealing with Dagur and the Skrill caused him to forget all about Mildew until the lighting-bending dragon was refrozen and the Berserkers out of the way for now – the Berserkers that now included the Outcasts, whose late chief had been defeated by Dagur... _Dagur the Deranged_ was now Mildew's chief! Hiccup wasn't exactly on friendly terms with Dagur, but as he flew home, he couldn't help but hope the new Outcast chief made Mildew wish he'd never left Berk.

Hiccup wasn't disappointed. A few weeks later, seeing Mildew forced to wait on the creatures he hated more than anything in the world was almost satisfying enough to make Hiccup no longer care about everything he'd done. _Almost_. Knowing the man had been justly rewarded for his treachery was at least enough to stop Hiccup from cringing at the thought of working with him again. Only knowing that it was definitely in Mildew's best interest to help him against Dagur made Hiccup feel safe about involving him. This time, however, Hiccup didn't listen to anyone else's suggestions or trust anyone's plans but his own.

* * *

As soon as the battle was over, the Whispering Deaths were gone, his father and friends were safe, the two chiefs had shaken hands, and Dagur was shackled and kneeling on the ground between two Outcasts soldiers, Hiccup started looking around for the last loose end to tie up. Toothless spotted him first – trying to slip away around a rock – and shot a blast at the ground in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

Stoick the Vast strode over to the man who, a few months ago, had handed his son over to their most dangerous enemies. "Going somewhere, Mildew?" he whispered, every word dripping with venom. Trying to back away as the furious Viking advanced on him, the old man started to mumble something in reply before he was hauled into the air by his throat. "I should wring your neck right now."

Struggling for breath, Mildew somehow managed to gasp, "I... I saved your life."

"That's not enough to make up for all the lives you put in danger," the chief of Berk hissed at him.

Desperation seemed to give the old man more strength. "Hiccup, tell him! Tell him I helped you!"

Hiccup turned his face away and said nothing. Neither did any of the other riders, who were all staring at the traitor with the same icy glares. Alvin, however, stepped away from his own prisoner and strolled over to the group.

Stoick must have thought Alvin was planning to tell them off because he turned to him, lowered Mildew to the ground (keeping a firm grip on his collar so that he could breathe but not run away), and said, "One of your men is guilty of numerous crimes against Berk, Alvin."

Alvin laughed. "He's not one of _my_ men," he said.

Mildew looked stunned. "Alvin, you... you never would have gotten back if it hadn't been for me! Like you said, I've always been faithful to you!"

Alvin seemed to think about that for a second. "True... he's never committed any crimes against _me_..."

"You intend to offer him your protection?" Stoick asked him.

Alvin shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I've got my hands full with this lunatic..." He gestured over his shoulder to where Dagur was still straining to escape his two guards. "... who's got a lot to answer for here. Figured I might have to get in line, though..." Dagur stopped struggling and stared at the two chiefs, a hopeful look on his face.

Hiccup and Stoick both understood what he was getting at – they'd taken two prisoners today, and Alvin was only interested in one of them... The Outcast chief certainly had just as much right to retribution from the Berserker for trying to kill him as Berk did for kidnapping their chief (for starters). Hiccup, whose only concern had been saving his father, honestly hadn't thought about what would happen if they managed to overthrow Dagur in the process. Objectively, he would probably have to say Alvin had the stronger claim, but what would his father think?

Stoick turned and glanced at Dagur for a moment, then turned back to Alvin. "You want Dagur, you can have him. Just make sure you keep him far away from Berk." Hiccup had no objection – chances of Dagur getting what he deserved were better in an Outcast prison than in any prison on Berk (besides, he looked like an even better escape artist than Heather).

"WHAT?!" Dagur shrieked with as much fear as when Alvin had first captured him.

"Fair enough," Alvin said with a nod. "One prisoner for me..." He held his arm out to Mildew. "... and one for you."

Mildew's eyes widened in panic as he gasped, "What?! You can't..."

Alvin didn't let him get any further. "It's none of my business who they take prisoner."

Mildew no longer looked horrified but simply angry, as if he sincerely believed he was being wronged (it was the way he looked 90% of the time). "You can't betray me like this!"

"Huh... seems fitting to me," Alvin said with another shrug and a highly amused grin.

Hiccup wondered, if the criminal in question had been anyone else, if he would have been bothered by Alvin handing him over without a fight. Like Alvin had said, Mildew had always been on his side – he hadn't done anything to Alvin or the Outcasts to warrant punishment from them. But allies didn't harbor each other's criminals – by every code of honor the Vikings lived by, now that they were at peace, Alvin couldn't justly interfere with Berk's right to punish a traitor. He had no right to protect Mildew from being forced to answer for his crimes against Berk, and there was nothing dishonorable about not trying to do so by force.

Mildew evidently didn't agree. He continued to rail and scream and call for help as he was tied up and placed behind Snotlout on Hookfang. Once they took off, however, he groaned and gave up, obviously realizing his frightened old man act was doing no good. He looked more annoyed than afraid, which Hiccup could understand – he didn't have half as much to fear from his captors as Dagur did.

Stoick sent Astrid and the twins on ahead to warn the guards whom they were bringing back. The chief and the other riders reached the prison shortly after them, and Stoick and Gobber marched the prisoner inside without incident, despite the cacophony of cheers and curses from the huge crowd gathered around the building (word had clearly traveled fast). As Hiccup followed them in with Astrid, he noticed his father had doubled the guard – there were two posted before the double doors outside, two more inside, and two standing before the cell farthest from the entrance. Mildew didn't put up any resistance when Gobber threw him in the cell – once he was locked in, he did no more than glower at them through the bars, mumbling almost inaudible complaints under his breath.

As soon as the two guards resumed their posts on either side of the only occupied cell, Stoick told them, "The tribunal will begin first thing in the morning. Try to make sure _this_ one doesn't go anywhere before then. You are not to speak with him. No one is allowed inside unless they're with me. At the first sign of any trouble, if you see _anything_ unusual, send word to me immediately, no matter how late it is."

They both nodded and firmly said, "Yes, sir."

Behind them, Mildew laughed. "I had no idea you were so afraid of an old man giving you the slip."

"I'm not worried about you getting out of here, Mildew," Stoick told him, pointing to the building entrance. "I'm worried about what they would do if they got in here." That wiped the smug smile off the prisoner's face, although he continued to glare at the chief as Stoick turned around and headed out. "I've got a lot of preparations to make before tomorrow. Let's go, everyone."

"Be there in a minute, Dad," Hiccup called after him.

His father turned around, looking like he intended to order him to leave now, but he stopped when he glanced at Gobber. The two men exchanged a nod before Stoick opened the double doors and stepped outside. Hiccup heard the crowd begin bombarding him with questions before the guards closed the doors again.

"They don't like me very much, do they?" Mildew said, looking thoughtfully at the entrance with his chin in his hand. He shifted his gaze to lock eyes with Hiccup. "You know what that's like, don't you, boy?"

Astrid grunted at the insinuation and raised her fist, causing Gobber to place a warning hand on her shoulder. Hiccup did nothing but stare straight ahead with his eyes narrowed and his mouth set hard, as if he was trying to melt the bars with his smoldering gaze. Mildew waited a second or two, then went on: "Guess this is the end for both of us, eh, Hiccup?"

"How do you figure that?" Gobber asked him.

Mildew continued looking at Hiccup when he answered the question, as if Hiccup was the one who had asked it: "Because we both betrayed Berk's secrets of dragon training to the Outcasts. Oh, by the way, I'm sorry I never got a chance to thank you for that. I couldn't have done it without you. But I'm sure everyone knows that by now."

After holding Astrid back from lunging forward, Gobber said, "We know. And we don't care."

"For now," Mildew said to him before turning back to Hiccup. "Let's see just how long that lasts. We know better than anyone how this town treats you when you make them mad." He paused to grin knowingly at Hiccup. "That's something we've always had in common, isn't it?"

"What's that?" Hiccup asked sincerely, his expression not altering a fraction.

"We've always been the... the outcasts," Mildew explained. "The outsiders. The ones nobody liked. The ones everybody wanted nothing to do with. We're the only ones on this island who know how that feels."

Hiccup guessed where this was going. "Meaning we should stick together? I should stand up for you? Make sure they go easy on you?"

Mildew shrugged. "It's only fair. You're just as much a traitor as I am, after all." (Astrid was the one who had to hold Gobber back from launching himself at him this time.) "You know this isn't right. Why else would you stay here to talk to me?"

Hiccup answered in the tone of one using all their might to restrain their anger, "Because the last time we met, you convinced me you were sorry for what you'd done, that you wished you hadn't betrayed us. I know you lied to me then, but I wanted to see if you'd started to regret it, if you'd changed at all over the past few months. Guess I know the answer."

"Don't be too sure you have me all figured out, Hiccup. That's what got us into this mess, isn't it?"

"I _don't_ ," Hiccup said with such force that Mildew froze as his smugness morphed into a look of mild bemusement. "I don't understand you at all. I get that you hated me and the dragons, but how could you not think about everyone else you were putting at risk by helping Alvin? You didn't care at all how many people you might hurt? How could you endanger everyone on Berk... just to get back at me? How could you... how could _anyone_ do that?"

Mildew made no reply. He breathed heavily as he and Hiccup stared in each other's eyes, one burning with ire, the other helplessly dumbfounded. Gobber finally broke the silence by saying, "He already told us that. It's because he was jealous." Mildew turned and stared at the man with a jolt as if he'd just taken an arrow to the chest. "You said it yourself. Until a few months ago, Hiccup was the only person in this village more despised than you. Then he earned everyone's respect. And you can't stand that. What made him so much better than you? Why should they suddenly give him the respect they never gave you, just because he's brave and smart and risks his life to protect us all, while all you do is whine and complain and whine and moan and whine?

"But you never cared how much everyone hated you... as long as they hated someone else more. The dragons were only part of it. You didn't just hate Hiccup because of the dragons – you hated him because, thanks to the dragons, he earned the respect you'd never have unless you grew up. You can't forgive him or the rest of the town for that. As far as you were concerned, they _all_ had to pay."

Hiccup had never thought of it that way before... but it certainly explained a lot. Mildew's only response was to start mumbling to himself again, then turn around and walk to the pallet built into the far wall of his cell. This interview was clearly over.

Astrid grabbed Hiccup's shoulder. "Let get out of here." He didn't fight her as she put her arm around his back and urged him to move along.

The prison was still surrounded by people when they stepped outside. Toothless and Stormfly instantly bounded over to their riders. "I'd better go see Stoick," said Gobber. "You two get home and get some rest. Something tells me it's going to be a big day tomorrow."

"No kidding," Hiccup agreed as he mounted Toothless, suddenly feeling exhausted.

* * *

Hiccup would have liked to talk to his father about the other events of the past few days, but he didn't get the chance that night. He didn't see his dad again until the next morning, when he and his friends went to the Great Hall together. The chief and his highest-ranking officers were already assembled and seated, waiting for the accused to be brought forward. Mildew arrived shortly after the riders, flanked by four guards. It seemed the entire island had gathered to watch, filling the hall to capacity and surrounding the building, eager to see the man they resented get what they'd believed he'd had coming to him for years.

Hiccup was asked to speak almost immediately. He ended up doing most of the talking, as he was the one Mildew had personally helped the Outcasts capture and had the most firsthand knowledge of what else he'd done since then and how his actions had endangered Berk. As he told the story, he noticed that Mildew looked... confused by what he was hearing. What, was he trying to play dumb? Was he actually arrogant enough to think he could get away with denying everything again?

Apparently not. At one point, Mildew – sounding outraged, not fearful – exclaimed, as if he couldn't restrain himself, "You can't do this to me, Hiccup! I saved your father!" Then Hiccup understood. Mildew was only confused to hear Hiccup speaking against him. He'd expected, because he'd given Hiccup and Alvin some help against Dagur, that Hiccup would still defend him, no matter how much Hiccup hated him, no matter what Mildew had done to him, just like Hiccup had protected him when his friends had found them on Outcast Island.

Unfortunately, Mildew had used up his last chance that day. Even though it was against the rules, Hiccup turned to him and said, with a flat voice and a blank face, "You could have killed me. And my dragon. And my father. And everyone here. For what?" Mildew's list of offenses was far too long and petty for his efforts yesterday to erase them all. Hiccup felt no obligation to him, no pity for him at all. He'd wanted to be their enemy – he'd gotten his wish.

Mildew didn't speak up again but spent the rest of the day glaring at Hiccup as if he was wishing the Outcasts had killed him months ago. Hiccup didn't care – he was too angry that Mildew would have the audacity to expect Hiccup to help him that he didn't even hear much of what Gobber or the other riders said after him. He jumped back to attention, however, when he realized it was Mildew's turn to defend himself. Hiccup couldn't help grinning as he thought, _This should be good_. What could the traitor possibly have to say for himself?

Mildew started by babbling on and on for a while about how he'd never meant for things to go this far or for anyone to get hurt. He'd just been protecting himself from the kids who had been relentlessly persecuting him. As soon as he'd realized what he'd done, he'd been on the constant lookout for the right opportunity to escape; in the meantime, he'd tried to gather as much information as he could about the Outcasts to help Berk defeat them once and for all – he'd just needed to be sure he wouldn't get caught, so the Outcasts would still trust him and he could go back and act as a spy for Berk. The chief and his son owed him their lives – didn't a Viking always pay his debts? But the point he emphasized most, that he kept coming back to, that he considered most important for everyone to remember, was that it was all the dragons' fault – if it hadn't been for them, none of this would have happened.

Hiccup wondered if Mildew really expected anyone to buy any of that. Did he think he could still turn everyone against the dragons as easily as he had the week of those thunderstorms? He must have known he didn't have the slightest hope of escape this time, yet he intended to stay defiant to the end. It was the first time in his life Hiccup had ever seen the coward act like a Viking.

Mildew's haughty, unshakable faith in his innocent victimhood didn't waver until Stoick stood up and declared the man guilty of high treason and announced he would be sentenced immediately. Only then did Hiccup notice his pretentiousness begin to crumble. "You... you wouldn't lock up a harmless old man, would you?" Mildew said with the first genuine sign of fear since they'd left Outcast Island.

"No, I wouldn't," the chief informed him. "We'd only be punishing ourselves by keeping you here where we'd have to wait on you for the rest of your life. I never want to see your face again, and neither does anyone in this village."

Mildew's eyes went wide as he realized prison wasn't what they had in mind (at the same time, the crowd around him seemed to grow more hopeful). He gulped and instinctively rubbed his throat as he said, "Now, now, chief... we all make mistakes..."

"Shooting an arrow at a wild boar's eye and hitting its shoulder is a mistake, Mildew," Stoick said in the same merciless tone. "You knew exactly what you were doing. You don't like dragons, that's your right. Nobody forced you to live with dragons, make any sacrifices for dragons, or do anything to help dragons. You didn't like how Hiccup taught everyone how much there is in dragons to admire. That doesn't give you the right to put his life and the lives of everyone on this island in danger.

"Before yesterday, the Outcasts were one of Berk's two worst enemies. You helped them kidnap my son. Thanks to you, he ended up locked in one of their cells. They could have killed him. He and more of us almost got killed escaping. Then you told them exactly what they needed to know to attack us, which they did, with more help from you. If it hadn't been for the dragon riders, there's no telling how many people your Whispering Death hatchlings would have killed. The fact that no lives were lost in the Outcasts' subsequent attacks is not from lack of trying.

"Every law the Vikings have followed for generations says we have every right to take your head." (You could hear several whispered prayers and muffled squeals of hope travel around the room.) "But I feel that execution by your enemies, no matter how disgraceful the circumstances, would be too honorable for you. I'm not going to help you keep playing the martyr, persecuted for disagreeing with his people about dragons."

The chief paused until the groans of disappointment stopped, then went on: "Well, since you obviously hate Berk and our tribe so much, you should be happy to know you won't have to put up with us any longer. Mildew – the Hooligan tribe here and now renounces you as a member. You are no longer entitled to our friendship or protection or to reside among us. As of today, you, Mildew, are hereby banished from Berk and all the waters under our control for the rest of your life." (It took a while for the chief and Gobber to quiet down the violent cheers that had erupted at the words.) "If you ever set foot on this island again, or are ever spotted within our waters, for any reason whatsoever, you _will_ be executed."

The crowd began to cheer again but stopped when they heard Mildew speak, not wanting to miss a word. "B-banished?" There was no trace of shame in his eyes at the disgrace of the sentence, merely undisguised terror at the fate that lay in store. "You-you can't do that to me. I've been a loyal citizen of Berk all my life..."

"You've been nothing but a curse on Berk since you took over your father's cabbage field," Gobber practically spat at him.

"I never claimed to be the most popular man on Berk, but since when is that a crime? If nobody liking you deserves banishment, Hiccup should have been banished years ago!" Mildew continued to talk over the murmurs and cries of outrage at his last statement. "Why, he betrayed us and broke all our laws when he befriended and hid a dragon!"

"Befriending that dragon saved us!" one of the members of the tribunal shouted, pounding his right hand... er, hook on a table.

People Hiccup couldn't see called out, "He never tried to kill anyone!" and "He almost died for us!"

His fury showing only on his face, not in his voice, Stoick then said, "There was never any law forbidding making friends with dragons. We don't banish people for breaking traditions or starting better, more honorable traditions or forming valuable new alliances."

Mildew asked, seemingly incredulously, "Well, isn't that what I did, too? Thanks to me, the Outcasts are your allies now. I helped you learn to trust them just like Hiccup taught you to trust dragons."

Hiccup was stunned to see Snotlout stand up and scream, pointing his finger as if he was trying to stab Mildew from across the room, "Hiccup's the one who did that, you filthy, lying, rotten, no good, stinking pile of yak dung!" He was quickly joined by many voices expressing the same sentiment in different words.

None of it seemed to bother Mildew. "What, you reward _him_ for making new friends, and punish _me_ for making new friends? How is that justice?"

"Your idea of 'justice' is beheading anyone who knocks over your cabbage cart!" said Gobber, causing many to laugh as they remembered times Mildew had demanded just that.

Stoick finally said, "That's enough! Silence! I said SILENCE!" When the uproar finally died down, he turned back to Mildew. "It's thanks to _Hiccup_ that Berk and the Outcasts finally have peace. If you had your way, Alvin would be ruling Berk, and we'd all be dead, in prison, homeless, or enslaved. But you didn't care about that as long as you got your revenge. Consider yourself fortunate you didn't succeed, but don't try to take credit for it. There's nothing more to be said. You leave Berk at dawn tomorrow. I hope that's enough time to make your good-byes."

* * *

The next morning found not one but two crowds assembled on the beach, forming a clear path between them to the dock where a small wooden boat was tied – one seat, empty except for two oars, its single small sail already raised. Everyone strained to get a good look at the new outcast walking down to the shore – his customary, disdainful scowl on his face, his staff in his right hand, and a small, white sack in his left, slung over his shoulder. Per their law, he'd been given three days' worth of food and water (had anyone chosen to give him more, no one would have stopped them, but nobody had offered). He had nothing else to take with him – he'd forfeited his land and property with his allegiance. Everything was settled. It would be over soon.

Escorting the star of the show were the chief, Gobber, and the dragon riders, who occasionally had to push someone back from attacking him or warn someone off who had stepped too close, shaking their fist; once, Hiccup managed to run forward and raise his shield just in time to stop a rock that had come flying towards them. Other than that, for the most part, the crowd limited themselves to jeers, chants, shouts of joy, and loud invitations to celebrations tonight. Snotlout and the twins couldn't resist joining them, but the others restrained themselves and stayed focused. For his part, Hiccup just wanted to get it over with.

When the group reached the shore, all of them stopped at the edge of the dock; Mildew walked down it towards the end. He threw his sack and staff into the boat, then turned and looked at his former tribe, who had finally grown quiet, waiting in case something interesting happened.

"So, this is how you treat a poor cabbage farmer, eh?" Mildew said in his usual indignant tone, as if he was complaining about someone trespassing in his field again. "All I wanted to do was protect my home from dragons."

"All you wanted was revenge," said the chief.

"What man who's been wronged _doesn't_ want revenge? It's the Viking way."

"Nobody wronged you," Gobber said, sounding bored. "Nobody ever did anything to you. Except wish you'd leave us alone."

"I tried my best! I tried to make everyone see what was best for them, but did they listen? No, nobody ever listened to me. Nobody did anything for me. Nobody ever cared about me!"

Stoick stepped forward at that. "We cared about you far more than we should have. We put up with your complaints and accusations and demands and delusions of persecution and entitlement year after year after year. We protected you and sheltered you through every storm and attack just like we do for everyone, even though you've never cared about anyone but yourself. Well, now you won't have to."

"I may not be good at making friends, chief, but I'd never lift a finger to hurt anyone on Berk again."

"It's too late, Mildew," Stoick said, unmoving. "Get in the boat."

"Just give me another chance..."

"Get in the boat now, or we'll make you."

"But where will I go?"

"That's not our concern."

Tuffnut whispered to his sister, "I hear Outcast Island's beautiful at this time of year."

"Yeah, and Alvin's such a nice guy, I'm sure they'd throw him a huge Welcome Back party," Ruffnut whispered back.

"I'm too old to start over, Stoick." Mildew sounded weak, scared, and broken, but Hiccup didn't believe it was genuine, and judging by the scoffing around him, no one else did, either.

The chief took another step forward. "You should have thought of that before you gave up your home. You turned your back on us. You can no longer be one of us. Now get out."

Mildew finally turned away from the relentless gaze of his chief to the person he considered his last hope. "Hiccup! You won't let them do this to me, will you? What could an old man like me do to hurt a young warrior or his dragon?" Hiccup, surprised at being addressed directly, raised one eyebrow suspiciously. "I was mad at you, but I never thought I could hurt either of you, not seriously. I knew you could escape the Outcasts – I just wanted to cause you a little trouble. I knew you could stop any attack they could come up with – that's why I thought it was okay to tell them what they wanted to know to make them trust me."

When Hiccup didn't say anything, Mildew started talking faster: "Come on, we both know Berk was never in any danger. Not with you guarding it. Nobody got hurt, so why should I be banished? Don't I deserve another chance? If you can trust Alvin, you can trust me, right? Besides, what could I do now? You're not afraid of me, right?" He sneered as he asked that last question, which was spoken like a challenge, but Hiccup didn't take the bait. He resumed his pleading tone. "Come on, boy, this isn't how you do things. You show everyone mercy."

"This isn't up to him," Stoick reminded him.

Mildew turned back to the chief. "Isn't it? You all said yourselves, he's the one I betrayed the most. He's the one entitled to revenge. Shouldn't _he_ get to decide how it's done?"

Stoick waited a moment, then turned around to face his son. "What do you say, son? Do you want to give him another chance?"

"Why would I side with those Outcasts over my own people?" Hiccup felt his limbs tense up as soon as Mildew began speaking again – it was the same tone he'd used when he'd begged Hiccup to let him out of that Outcast cell. "Look at how they treated me! I'm sorry I ever got involved with them. I made a mistake, but at least all those weeks slaving away for those Berserkers taught me what's really important. I swear, I've learned my lesson at last – I'm a changed man."

Stoick said nothing but kept looking at his son. Hiccup stepped closer to the man he loathed, never taking his eyes off him. Mildew had brought this all on himself – no matter how hard he tried, Hiccup still couldn't find a shred of pity for him. Hiccup gazed intently at him but couldn't see or think of anything in him worth saving. He tried to remember all the times he'd seen Mildew between Bork Week and now, but he couldn't recall a single sign of sincere regret or remorse for what he'd done – Mildew was only sorry it hadn't worked out the way he'd planned.

Hiccup did, however, remember all too vividly how Mildew had exploited his natural tendency for mercy, his ability to easily forgive, and his desire to see the best in people to trick him into trusting him. When the time came, Hiccup had defended him because he'd wanted to believe the man had learned he'd been wrong. He now knew that wasn't true, and it would never be true. That was why this could end no other way.

Hiccup looked the man in the eye and said, calmly but firmly, "I'm sorry, too – sorry I ever trusted you. You _haven't_ changed... but _I_ have."

Mildew got the message. He trembled with suppressed rage, clenching his fist and grinding his teeth, as Hiccup held his gaze. Perhaps it was because he knew there no reason to keep up the helpless old man pretense anymore that he dropped the act. He drew himself up to his full height, raised his fist, took half a step towards Hiccup (who didn't move), growling almost like an animal, and spat at his feet. Stoick instantly moved as if to rush him ("How dare you...!") but slowed down when Gobber grabbed his shoulder and Hiccup grabbed his other arm. Mildew didn't seem the least bit worried as he said, "I _am_ sorry – sorry I didn't try harder to get rid of those dragons from the beginning!"

Hiccup shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Well, they won't cause you any more trouble." He turned away and began walking back off the dock as he finished the sentence, not wanting to prolong the man's time left on Berk any further.

He heard Mildew hiss at him, " _You_ caused all the trouble! Everything was fine until you brought all those dragons and..."

Hiccup reached his friends at the edge of the dock but kept his back turned on Mildew. His eyes were drawn to the crowd of onlookers, who had exploded at hearing the familiar, aggravating refrain:

"You can't talk to our chief's son that way!"

"Get over it, old man!"

"Nobody cares what you think of dragons!"

"I'd pick any dragon over you any day!"

"The dragons aren't going anywhere!"

"The dragons aren't half the trouble _you_ are!"

"Enough!"

"It's over!"

"Get him out of here!"

"Off with you!"

Curious if this would have any effect on Mildew, Hiccup turned around. Mildew was looking from one face to another, not with fear of being attacked or any silent plea for help, but with the same self-righteous, irritated, superior, get-out-of-my-way look he'd worn every day as long as the village could remember, as if all the world owed him for some unbearable injury it had caused him. One thing missing from his face was any trace of guilt or sorrow. He clearly wasn't looking forward to braving the ocean on his own, but the prospect wasn't enough to dent his confidence that _he_ was the victim here, that nothing he'd done was his fault.

As the shouting of the crowd grew wilder, Mildew finally seemed to have enough. He threw up his arms in one last groan of annoyance, then stomped to the edge of the dock, climbed into the boat, untied the mooring rope at lightning speed, pushed off with one of the oars, and began rowing away with all his strength. Applause, triumphant whistles, and prayers of thanks began as soon as he was on board and only got louder as he began to drift away. Berk was finally free of the worst plague it had ever known.

Hiccup was the first to turn his back on the ocean and walk away, Toothless by his side, feeling relieved it was over but otherwise empty. They hadn't gotten far from the masses thronging the beach when Hiccup heard his dad's familiar heavy step behind them. He slowed down to let his father catch up with them. "He's gone," Stoick informed him.

"Good," Hiccup said weakly.

His dad shook his head and sighed deeply. "I was hoping we'd get that taken care of today. I told Alvin to come tomorrow to sign the peace treaty to make our alliance official." Hiccup raised his head at the news. "I'd like you to be there. It was all your doing."

The first thought that occurred to Hiccup was, "Actually, it was just as much Snotlout's doing. Maybe he should be there, too."

"If you think so," his dad said before his voice became graver. "We never could have defeated Dagur or the Screaming Death without your plans, you know. Alvin and I both owe our people's lives to you. And our restored friendship. We never imagined a day like this would come. Neither of us thought the other could ever change... but you did. And even though it seemed just as mad as making friends with a dragon, you were right. We'll never forget how you helped us, son."

As Hiccup walked beside his father, slowly taking in what he'd just heard, he felt himself cheering up. Yes, it was tragic that a man who was supposed to be a friend had become their enemy, but an old enemy had also become their friend. Even though he'd messed up so badly when he'd trusted Mildew, all his plans against Dagur and the Screaming Death had succeeded. In spite of how wrong things had gone a few months ago, Hiccup realized he still had much to be proud of, much to hope for, and much to look forward to.

As he and his father discussed their new alliance with the Outcasts and their victory two days ago, as they stood on the cliff looking over the sea, savoring a moment of peace, Hiccup, without realizing it, stopped thinking about Mildew. Within an hour, he and the rest of the island were ready to move on and get back to living their lives. Long before he was flying back to the village to take care of the usual business, Hiccup forgot all about him.

Mildew was the type of person that, once he was gone, was easily and eagerly forgotten.


End file.
